A Window to the Past
by Live to Dream
Summary: Remus Lupin has been searching for something most of his life. What happens when he finds what he’s looking for?
1. Chapter 1

Note: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of it's characters, though I wish I did.

Lucky Ducks Orphanage was possibly the worst orphanage a young girl could be in. The girls got treated horribly, got old hand-me-down orphanage uniforms, and the stale left-overs from a week ago while the boys would often get the better treatment, new uniforms, and better food.

Talin Nickels was always getting the worst of everything. The girls of Lucky Ducks were known to be the worst girls in all of Britain. But then there were the sad little girls like Talin who just so happened to live in the area and were stuck going there.

At Lucky Ducks, it always seemed like it was raining, rarely a sun or light fluffy clouds in the sky. However, just as it was approaching night and the children weren't allowed to leave, the sky would clear up revealing bright colored stars and a shining moon. This would always ruin Talin's plans.

Talin always told herself that she would run away from Lucky Ducks when they were allowed outside. She would climb over the fence and just run off wearing nothing but the clothes she would put underneath the horrid blue jumper with the embroidered duck and the plaid skirt that was frayed at the hem. However, it rained _all the time._

Most of the time, the 11-year-old girl would keep to herself, sitting in the corner of the play-room reading a book. The other children would call her strange, odd, weird…and Talin knew she was. She wouldn't deny it.

"Oi, Talin," said one of the older boys one day, "wot choo readin' now?"

Talin looked up from the book, looking at the boy from dull blue eyes. The boy meant the sentence to be taunting. None of the kids in the orphanage were her friends, even though sometimes she wished they were. She promptly ignored the boy and returned to reading the print on the page in front of her. She didn't particularly enjoy being bothered.

"OI, TALIN," said the boy again, now slowly walking towards her, "wot choo readin' now?" He spoke slowly as he walked, eyes narrowed, fist balled up.

Talin looked up at him again, barely flinching as she knew what he was about to do. She closed her book, stood up, and went to leave by passing him, but as she did so, he grabbed her shoulder. Talin, shocked, dropped her book and just as she turned to look at the boy she found herself back pressed up against a wall, the boys face close to hers.

"Oi, Talin," he said, "wot ch-" The boy turned his head to look towards the door, his eyes slightly wide.

"That's enough," called the sharp voice of Mrs. Happerty from the now open doorway. "We're tired of you lot, get on that there bus outside…we're going to the aquarium."

There were a few shouts of delight at this statement. The boy looked back at Talin.

"You're lucky," he said, "I'll get choo next time." And he pushed her hard against the wall once more before leaving.

Talin wished she could've been as excited as the others. She rubbed her aching shoulders, bent down and grabbed her book, cradling it to her chest. At least maybe she could escape now. Or so she hoped.

A/N- Yay! First chapter! I know, it makes absolutely no sense to the summary right now, but believe me, it will! Just give it a bit of time. This is actually a fanfiction I've tried writing time and time again, but this time I think I've finally gotten my story-line just right. Some things that are coming up I'm going to more or less steal from my own life, just because it makes a nice story. Only the people who know me will know what's real and what isn't. That leaves you guys in the dark. D I hope y'all enjoy this!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**- Sorry you didn't understand it. I love how upon_ just _putting the fic up I 75 hits. And only two reviews? (Thankyou!) Come on people! Don't be shy! This is only the beginning, you haven't even begun to see what's going on and plus I need to know how I'm doing, good, bad, or indifferent! Thanks!

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The aquarium was rather crowded, Talin decided as she tried looking for a vacant spot to continue reading her book. She pulled the book close to her body again, searching.

_Ah, there's a spot, _she thought rushing towards it, not caring who or what she walked into. She just sat right down, disregarding everyone around her and the fish swimming around lazilly in the tank. She propped open her book and grinned contentedly. It was so much better than being cooped up in the musty orphanage.

"Lemon sharks," said a voice from beside her.

"Hmm?" Talin said, looking up from her book to the man beside her.

"Inside the tank, lemon sharks. Do you like sharks?" He asked.

Talin surveyed the man's raggy appearance. His clothes were shabby, his hair thin and grey, he was thin, pale, dark shadows under his eyes. She shook her head. "No. I'm more of a gold fish person," she said, giving him a polite grin before returning to the book.

"As am I," said the man, chuckling, "As am I. Say, what book is it you are reading?"

Talin looked back up at the man again. She wasn't used to this sort of behavior from a person. She was used to someone ignoring an 11-year-old, especially an orphan, like her. "Uhm...it doesn't have a title. It's about pirates who run into a bunch of monsters," she said, sticking her thumb on the page she was at and closing the front on top of it.

The man smiled at her. "Pirates. You want adventure, don't you?"

Talin nodded. "Yes, I do."

He nodded and looked back at the shark tank, thinking.

"What's your name?" He asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Talin...Talin Nicole."

"Is Talin short for Taliana?"

"I'm...not sure," Talin said, looking at the man curiously. "You haven't told me your name."

"Oh, do beg my pardon. My name is Remus Lupin," he said, looking back at Talin and holding out his hand.

Talin shook it awkwardly. "Nice meeting you, Mr. Lupin." She slowly started to open her book again, jumping slightly as Remus took a seat on the floor next to her.

"What brings you here," Remus asked, grinning at Talin.

"Uhm...the orphanage, where I live...they decided to take us on a trip. I reckon they're tired of us wrecking everything there," Talin said with embarassment. She never liked telling people she was in an orphanage.

"Oh," Remus said, turning to better talk to Talin, "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Don't apologize," Talin said, giving him a sad smile, "I'm used to it."

"No, I must do something," Remus said, nodding to himself. He reached his hand into his back pocket, pulling out his thin and ragged wallet. He opened it up and looked at the scarce amount of money he had gotten from the house painting job.

"Would you accompany me to the gift shop," he asked, pulling out a 10 pound note.

"No, I couldn't-"

"I insist," Remus said, standing up and holding out his hand to assist Talin.

Talin frowned slightly, and closed her book completely, taking Remus' hand. It couldn't hurt to go with him, could it?

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**A/N**- Yay! I introduced Lupin! xD This chapter...kind of a cliffhanger...no, not really. xD I hope y'all enjoyed this (short) chapter. Hopefully they'll get longer as I go a long or they might stay short and there'll be like, a million and one chapters by the end...but it's still short! xD

Review people! Because I know you guys look! xD

Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N-** Told you guys I'd be moving pretty fast! This chapter was actually done yesterday afternoon, but I was having problems getting the document to load. C'mon, review, people! It's that pull-down menu at the left-hand corner of the page at the bottom. Use it, please?

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**M**eeting Remus Lupin was quite possibly the best thing that happened to Talin in a long time. The day at the aquarium proved useful in her plans to escape the orphanage. She was being placed in the home of an old woman by the name of Arabella Figg.

The old woman was small and crooked, back bent over her walking stick.

"Of course I'll take her," the old woman had exclaimed happily as Remus and Mrs. Happerty talked to her on speakerphone at the orphanage two weeks earlier.

"Will you be picking her up or do you have someone to come pick her up?" Happerty asked, bored. "If someone brings her to you, you'll need to fill out some paperwork and send it back."

"That's fine, that's fine. Remus can bring her to me," Arabella said, clearly overjoyed at the idea of having someone in the house with her. And at the old woman's house, Talin indeed was.

The only thing that didn't thrill Talin was the excess of cats the old woman had. She wasn't a big cat person.

Only three days after Talin's arrival, old Arabella broke her leg, leaving her to take care of the 8 cats in the house on her own for a weekend.

"I'll be back on Monday," Arabella said, calling from the hospital. "If any owls arrive, let them in darling and give it two of the bronze coins on the counter. I'll talk to you later, darling."

Arabella's message was cryptic. What did the old woman mean by letting owls in if they arrived? The cats were one thing, but owls?

Talin had no idea what she was in for at the old woman's house. Saturday morning, she was woken up to a sharp tapping on the living room window. Groggily, she sat up on the couch, letting the blanket fall onto the floor, noticing the barn owl at the window, a paper attached to its leg.

Talin cocked her head, curiously and stood up to open the window to allow the handsome bird in. She didn't know what to expect.

As she opened the window, the owl whooshed right in, perching on the arm of the couch where her head had just been. It held out its leg, expectantly.

Slowly, Talin approached the bird, reaching her hands out far in front of her to untie the paper. As she did put the newly removed paper down on the seat cushion, the owl dropped its leg, and waited.

"What?" Talin said, surveying the bird, awkwardly. "Go on, shoo!"

The owl held out its other leg with a pouch tied to it. Then Talin made the connection.

"Oh, right! Give me a moment," she said, rushing for the kitchen in search of the little bronze coins. They weren't too hard to find and were certainly peculiar looking. She noticed little silver and gold coins as well, but she didn't have time.

As she went back into the living room, she was surprised to see another owl, a tawny, sitting on the couch beside the barn owl.

"What is this? The owl circus?" Talin asked as she deposited the two coins into the first owls pouch. The barn owl took off with a resounding 'Hoo' as it exited the house. Talin shook her head and returned her attention to the tawny.

'Miss Talin N. Nickels,

The Couch

Number 15 Privet Drive' read the front of the letter.

"For…me?" Talin asked incredulously. She removed the letter a little bit faster than she had the paper. The tawny left without hesitation.

"Oddly specific," Talin said, surveying the front of the envelope and then turning it over. "And oddly old fashioned. Who seals an envelope with wax?"

She slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the contents inside.

"Dear Miss Nickels,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…" Talin read aloud, not stopping but her voice rising as the letter got more and more absurd.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? What sort of rubbish is that?" She frowned slightly, turning to the next page.

"One wand…robes…students can bring an owl, a cat, or a toad?" Talin said, putting the letter down and rubbing her eyes. "What crack-pot sent this?"

She turned to the paper that was on the couch seat and untied the string holding it together. She picked it up and jumped as she noticed the person in the picture was _waving_ at her. The words and sentences formed a circle around the large picture in the front.

The title of the paper was '_The Daily Prophet'_ and underneath it read '_Your source of information in the entire Wizarding world.'_

Talin was so sure this was an elaborate scheme to scare her a little, but she couldn't deny the picture was moving. She went to put her finger on it, and as she did so, the man moved out of her way, still waving and smiling.

"This is _really _bizarre," Talin moaned as she flipped through the pages of the newspaper to find more moving pictures and an ad for a new book by a wide smiling man by the name of Gilderoy Lockhart.

To Talin's surprise, Arabella arrived back at the house in a wheel chair on Sunday, her cats greeting her anxiously.

"They let me out early," she said, "They said I should heal soon. I heal pretty fast, you know."

Talin nodded, smiling and glad to have someone in the house again.

"Arabella?" Talin asked, getting behind the wheelchair and wheeling the old woman into the living room so she could watch her soap operas.

"Yes, dear?" she asked.

"What's Hogwarts?"

Old Mrs. Figg whirled around in her chair quickly, causing Talin to stop in fear the old woman would fall out.

"You got a letter?" she asked.

Talin looked confused. "Yes?" Talin said, nervously.

Arabella Figg's face immediately brightened. "That's wonderful! Oh, now this just won't do," she said looking at her leg. "We'll have to get Remus to bring you to Diagon Alley, and we'll have him send a letter stating you'll be attending, and…Oh! There's a boy your age who should be attending just down the street and-you do want to go, don't you?"

Talin looked even more confused than she had been moments before.

"Uhm…pardon?"

"Hogwarts, dear, do you want to go to Hogwarts? I never got the chance myself…it's because I'm a Squib, I can't do magic," Mrs. Figg said.

"Uhm, I assume…and Squib? Diagon Alley? What?"

Mrs. Figg chuckled. "Oh, pardon me, I'm just throwing information at you, aren't I? Come now, let's get into the living room and I'll explain everything to you."

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**A/N-** So what do you think? Are you guys liking this so far? This chapter is considerably longer...well, not really, than the other two. Chapter Four isn't near completion, so that might take a little while longer than me just throwing chapter after chapter at you. Review! xD

Thanks again!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Thankyou for the reviews Cherry328! I'm glad to know that I have a loyal reader for the very first time in the history of me posting on Fanfiction! Or, at least one who lets me know that they've stuck it out as long as they have! I know the fic hasn't been online that long, but I hope you guys are enjoying what's going on.**

**Amanda- Darling, emo-child, thank-you for the extremely long review. It indeed made me lawl. D I love the long reviews, so keep those bad-boys rolling and sign onto your account, ding-dong! x3 I hope you stick around for the rest of my fic as well. Hopefully the ending of this chapter will be more to your liking. The next chapter is going to be a long-un, I can guarantee it, so don't expect any fast updates, 'aight?**

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A week later Talin was greeted with the sight of Remus Lupin.

"Mr. Lupin!" Talin said, opening the door happily, throwing her arms around the man.

"Hullo Talin," Remus said, returning the hug. "Congratulations on getting into Hogwarts."

"Remus! Come into the living room, will you?" Mrs. Figg yelled over the noise of the TV.

Lupin separated himself from Talin, ruffled her hair, and continued on into the house, being greeted by the always enthusiastic Mrs. Figg and her cats.

Talin popped her head outside the door for a moment, looking around. Driving past the old woman's house was a pristine car with a large fat man, an extremely thin woman, and three boys in the back seat. The smallest boy stared out the window, both sad and excited.

The boy and Talin's eyes met as the car past. The boy even turned around to watch Talin and gave a little wave, brushing his long dark bangs out of his eyes.

Talin returned the wave and gave him a smile not retreated into the house until the car was fully out of sight.

She slowly walked into the living room, her smile still on her face.

"You look happy," Arabella said, "What did you see?"

"Oh, just a boy," Talin said, trying to wipe the grin off of her face.

"Oh, really," Remus said, now grinning himself. "Was he _cute_?"

Talin scoffed and gave him a playful shove.

"We'd best be off," Remus said, putting a hand on Talin's shoulder. "We'll probably eat supper at the Leaky Cauldron. It'll take some time getting everything."

"You two had best be careful," Arabella said. "I'd suggest using the fireplace, it would be quicker."

Remus nodded. "Fine idea," he said, releasing Talin and walking over to the fireplace, reaching into a flower pot and pulling out a fine powder. He ducked his head and walked into the fireplace, dropping the powder and saying, "Diagon Alley." He vanished with an explosion of green flames.

This made Talin petrified. "What the bloody Hell just happened?" she asked, looking to the old woman, shocked and confused.

"Oh, dear…you've never used or seen Floo powder before. Here, just take some of the powder from the pot and say 'Diagon Alley' while dropping it. It doesn't hurt," Arabella said, a sheepish look on her face.

Talin looked doubtful as she took a handful of the powder and stepped into the fireplace. She cringed as she released the powder, "Diagon Alley."

Nothing could've prepared her for the sensation she felt, the whirling green flames, warm, whipping up around her body and a slight jerk in her stomach as she found herself spinning, passing what seemed to be other fireplaces.

Finally, she just stopped, spilling out onto a stone floor with a groan in front of Remus.

"I was beginning to think you got lost," Remus said, bending down and lifting Talin off of the ground.

She sputtered, bits of ash now lodged in the back of her throat. "So did I," Talin said, dusting off her clothes.

"I'm sorry," Remus said, "It hadn't occurred to me that you wouldn't have traveled by Floo before now."

"It's…quite alright. I was just afraid I wouldn't get to where I was supposed to be and the flames-" Talin stopped mid-sentence to survey her surroundings.

There were males and females all dressed in long, flowing cloaks, of all different colors, some with wands tucked behind their ears, an owl on their shoulder, a cat in their arms. Some had their arms laden with bags and leather-bound books bearing odd-titles or pictures.

Talin was in awe. She had never been to a place such as this one before, where people stopped and talked to each other, regardless of whether they were complete strangers to one another. Where small children ran free without parents, without a care in the world, some carrying miniature sized brooms or a long rope of licorice.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," Remus said.

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**A/N- Yuuu, guys. Look! Another chapter said and done! I didn't think I'd be able to throw together another chapter this quick, but look! I managed! I hope you enjoy this chapter!If you can, and you really enjoy this fic, please review or at least pass it along to friends and ask them to review? Reviews are _really _helpful at this point.**

**Here's a bit of incentive…We're getting close to Hogwarts time, and what about those other first years? If you give me a really good/long review, feel free to go to my profile and shoot me off an e-mail with a character's description and I PROMISE I'll try working them into the fic. I know people enjoy seeing their characters in other people's works, myself included. Just review, review, review!**

**Thanks!**

**Love,**

**Cait**


	5. Chapter 5

Talin was absolutely enthralled with what she was looking at. "This place is amazing," Talin said, smiling.

"Here," Remus said, tossing her a decent sized pouch. He also took out his wand and a piece of parchment out of his back pocket. He put his wand to the paper and half of the school list was suddenly written upon the paper. "I'll cover your books and the items from the apothecary…you take the rest. We'll meet back at the Leaky Cauldron at say…around 4:00?"

Talin nodded, still smiling. "Oh, and where is the Leaky Cauldron?"

Remus pointed in the opposite direction from where they were. "I'll see you then, alright? Oh, galleons are gold, sickles are silver, and the knuts are the bronze coins." Lupin said, handing her the list and then walking off.

This left Talin to roam around Diagon Alley for 5 hours by herself. She looked around for a moment and then looked down at the list in her hand. She thought about it for a moment and figured the first item she ought to get was her wand and the item she was most anxious to get.

Talin strolled along the busy street, glancing at the store names, intrigued by Flourish and Blott's, where Remus was at, Madam Malkin's, her next stop, and finally Ollivander's.

She stopped underneath the sign for Ollivander's (Fine wand makers since 382 BC!) and cautiously opened the door to the shop. There was already a boy inside. The boy turned around as Talin shut the door.

The boy's dark blue eyes met Talin's and he grinned.

"'Lo," said the blond-header boy, "My name's Ren, what's yours?"

"Uhm…Talin."

"And I'm Mr. Ollivander," said a soft voice from Ren. Ren whirled around and Talin slowly approached the desk. "First year students?"

Both Talin and Ren nodded.

"Perfect," Mr. Ollivander said. He surveyed the two for a moment, pointed at Ren and said, "9 ½, Yew, and…Unicorn Hair. Pleasantly supple." The old man vanished and Ren turned back to Talin.

"So, it's your first year, too?" He asked.

"Yeah…you excited?" Talin asked.

"You bet! Y'see, I wasn't expecting any of this sort of thing to happen," Ren said, looking past Talin for a moment. "Where are your parents?"

"Oh…they're…not here," Talin said, trying to dance awkwardly around the subject, "I'm with a family friend. Where are yours?"

"Dead."

Talin immediately paled. "Oh, sorry…same with me," she said, looking away and becoming silent.

Mr. Ollivander returned, bringing boxes upon dusty boxes of wands with him to try on Ren. Finally, the blond-haired boy was finished and paid, but he didn't leave the shop when he was done. Ren stood by the door and watched Talin.

"You…" Mr. Ollivander said, pondering what wand would work with Talin the best. "9 ¼, Dragon Heartstring, Holly. Also supple."

Ollivander vanished once more leaving Talin and Ren with an awkward silence for a while. When Ollivander returned, it was much to Talin's relief.

She tried wand after wand, feeling like an idiot swishing around the wand to only have the wand taken from her hand mid-swish.

"10 ¾, Phoenix Feather, and…Rosewood. Swishy," Ollivander said, handing Talin the last wand from the pile.

She gave it a swish and jumped slightly as the wand emitted some sparks. Talin, nervous, looked at Ollivander who smiled. "I believe we've found your match," he said.

Talin grinned, placing the wand back in its box which Ollivander dusted off and tied nicely shut. She paid the 6 galleons, 4 sickles, and the knut and walked to the door, where Ren still stood waiting.

"Y'know," Ren said, "We parent-less kids need to stick together." He nodded. "C'mon, I noticed you had Madam Malkin's on your list. That's where I'm heading now myself."

Talin sighed. "Alright, fine…let's go, if you insist."

Ren grinned and opened the door for Talin. She walked out and let the boy lead the way to the store since he seemed to know his way around Diagon Alley better.

The two new first year students shopped together, stopping at other stores such as the Quidditch Supply store, and they even made the stop into Flourish and Blott's since Talin hadn't been in there.

The 5 hours that Talin had to look around passed quickly. She purchased three extra books, a journal, color-changing ink, a self-checking quill, and a single newt's eye, just because it amused her. Ren purchased about the same things, including a handsome snowy owl.

"What are you going to name him?" Talin asked, putting her fingers through the bars of the cage to feed the bird some treats.

"I'm not sure yet," Ren said. "What time was it you said you had to go back?"

"About 4," Talin said, shifting the bags she carried in her arms.

Ren checked his watch and cringed. "You only have 3 minutes to be on time. Listen, I'll let you go. I'll see you on the train, alright?"

Talin nodded and smiled, giving Ren a quick one-armed hug. "Ok, I'll see you then!" and with that, Talin took off as fast as she could to try and meet Lupin on time.

She was able to make it on time with being only a minute late, but it was Lupin who hadn't quite shown up just yet.

It was about 10 minutes later that he arrived, with a surprise in hand.

"Here, I bought you an owl. You can send letters to that dashing lad you were with," Lupin said, winking and handing her the cage to the tawny owl. He adjusted the bag of books he had to be slung over his shoulder. "Any idea on what you're going to name her?"

"Hmmm, not sure yet," Talin said, blushing slightly. "Thank-you so much." Talin's stomach suddenly growled.

"Oh, dear…it sounds like you've worked up quite an appetite. Ready to eat supper?" Lupin asked.

Talin nodded. "Thank-you again. You know, I wish we were related," Talin said, smiling at Lupin and turning and walking towards the Cauldron.

"If you only knew," Lupin said sadly, "If you only knew…"

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**A/N-Look! New chapter! So, it wasn't as long as I wanted it to be...who cares? It's up and it's readable. REVIEWWWWWWWWWW!**


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